Cats
by MementoLuceat
Summary: Elliot absolutely adored the two cats that wandered around Lutwidge Academy, not that he'd ever admit it. Well, he didn't really need to, because Leo and Ada already knew. Written for Elliot's birthday.


**AN: The cover art is by ihadtopickaname, who is a totally great artist you should check out on DeviantArt. Permission was given to use it.**

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It was love at first sight when Elliot first saw the two cats. Apparently they belonged to a student just one year above him, and frequently wandered the halls of the Academy. Whoever that student was, they must've taken extraordinary care of them, because they looked like they were plucked straight out of a painting. It took a considerable amount of his self-control to not drop his books right there because _Nightray men do not drop their books to coo over cute cats._ It was simply undignified.

Except Leo knew him all too well and immediately picked up on his stray gaze. "There's no one else in the hall," he offered with a teasing smile.

Elliot considered that. Well, it couldn't hurt…

Behind him, Leo stifled a snicker as the Nightray marched over to the cats with such a determined expression that might've been impressive, but in this situation, it was laughable. The cats didn't seem to be as amused and they hissed. Elliot's face fell comically and Leo sighed as the other boy turned to him, looking for all the world like a kicked puppy. "D-do they not like me, Leo?"

"They're scared of your angry face."

" _What do you mean, angry face?_ "

"Right there."

His cheeks flushed a deep scarlet and he gave an angry huff. "Well, it's not like I cared about those cats anyway!" He began to stomp away, back straight and proud—then froze a few steps away, pivoted, and quickly walked back to the cats.

Leo closed his eyes and pressed a hand to his forehead. What was he going to do with this absolute disaster of a boy? He glanced back; Elliot had abandoned all pretenses of dignity and was now petting the cats with an uncharacteristically tender expression. A smile rose to Leo's face. It was rare to see the other boy like this, and all the other members of the Nightray family were dog lovers, Elliot almost never got to spend time around the cats that he preferred.

A flash of yellow caught his eye and he glanced up. Standing at the corner was a student with long blonde hair and green eyes—it could only be Ada Vessalius, watching the scene with faint surprise.

It took a moment, but she recognized the boy playing with her cats as Elliot Nightray, the youngest child of the Duke Nightray. They had exchanged stiff formalities at his coming of age ceremony, and now was the first time she had seen him since then. The boy softly stroking the fur of her cats with an almost goofy smile seemed to be an entirely different person from the frigid young noble a year ago. Maybe he had been cursed, but she'd never heard of a curse that could so radically change a personality. If there were though, she might consider trying that on her father…

Shaking off her stray thoughts, she debated for a moment whether to speak or not, but the shaggy-haired boy with glasses standing next to the Nightray raised a finger to his lips in a clear request for silence. It made sense; she would only ruin Elliot's good mood if she revealed her presence to him. The Vessalius and Nightray Dukedoms had a relationship of mutual distrust even from the beginning of the Four Dukedoms, after all. But…that didn't have to extend until now, did it? Weren't they all individual people, not just their family names?

Making up her mind, she committed the face of the other boy to memory and gave him a nod before turning around. She could find another route to her classroom; Elliot wouldn't hurt her cats.

As Ada vanished around the corner, Leo exhaled in relief. It appeared she had understood the situation and hadn't taken offense to a Nightray playing with her cats, but he should definitely talk to her later to make sure. The relationship between the Nightray and Vessalius Dukedoms was strained enough as it was, and they didn't need a quarrel over _cats_ of all things to worsen it. A laugh drew his attention back to Elliot.

The white cat had crawled onto his shoulder and was licking his cheek with a rough tongue. It had tickled his skin and he couldn't stop the laugh from coming out. It was a strange feeling; he rarely got the chance to unwind like this, and he'd almost forgotten how it felt to just forget all his worries for a short moment. But it was a feeling Elliot liked, and he almost pouted when Leo said that they had to get going to their class—almost, because Nightray men did not pout. Even when they were being forced to leave behind cuddly adorable cats.

 _I'll definitely try to find them again tomorrow_ , he resolved. It wasn't until he heard the muffled chuckle from Leo that he realized he'd said that out loud and heat rose to his face. "Sh-shut up!"

"I didn't say anything."

"Shut up anyway!"

Leo laughed again. They were a minute late to their class, but he didn't regret not stopping Elliot earlier. Even if others didn't, he noticed the smiles that turned up a bit more, the shoulders that loosened ever so slightly, and the shine in those blue eyes that was just a little brighter.

It was with that thought in mind that Leo planned to find Ada the next day. Vessalius or not, she owned those cats, and the cats made Elliot happy. And because whatever made Elliot happy was an automatic priority, he should talk to her about the cats. Simple enough. What wasn't nearly as simple was that he'd run into her halfway between their classrooms; they'd clearly had the same idea.

"Miss Ada Vessalius," he greeted with a polite nod, and then his mind went blank because he—being an utter idiot—hadn't thought this through. What exactly would he say to her, and would she even take kindly to a request from a member of the Nightray household—and a servant, no less?

Thankfully Ada spared him that awkwardness as she spoke up. "Are you Elliot's friend?"

"Yes, I'm his valet." Leo hesitated. "About yesterday…"

"Oh, yes, that's what I'd like to talk to you about." He stiffened and she could sense the apology on the tip of his tongue. Quickly, she added, "It's all right, I'm not angry. I just wanted to ask you to tell Elliot that he can play with my cats any time."

He blinked. Of all the things he'd been expecting, her giving explicit permission on her own initiative was one he hadn't even considered. "Th-thank you, Miss Ada." The question of "why?" tugged at him but he remained silent—he wouldn't ruin this for Elliot.

It must've been written all over his face because Ada gave him a reassuring smile. "Elliot looked so happy when he was playing with them, and I didn't want to take that away from him. Even if he is a Nightray…"

"Elliot is a kind person," Leo blurted out on impulse. "He might be stiff and angry sometimes, but he's just very proud of his family, and he's been raised to hate the Vessaliuses. But he's a kind and dependable person, so please, forgive him if he acts rude to you."

Ada stared at him and he fidgeted under her searching gaze. For a second, it was Gilbert standing there instead, talking about Oz. Even though her memories of them were blurry, their relationship that was closer to friendship than master and servant had always stood out to her. And now, Gilbert was a Nightray… But he was still Gilbert, wasn't he? Because in the end, Nightray was only a name.

"Even if he is a Nightray," she repeated, and chose her words with careful deliberation, "and I am a Vessalius, I don't believe that means we can't get along."

"I hope Elliot realizes that too."

More students were streaming into the hallways as it neared the beginning of class, and they exchanged quick farewells before separating. Elliot was still waiting where Leo had left him. The music sheets he was poring over were all annotated in his characteristic strong handwriting, but there were crude doodles of cats in the margins that drew a soft snicker from Leo. The sound caught Elliot's attention and he glanced up.

"Where were you?"

"The owner of the cats said you could play with them any time."

His face lit up in almost childish elation. "Really?" It was perfect—he would probably never be able to keep cats of his own, but this more than made up for that because those cats were _adorable_. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud, of course. "It's settled! Leo, we will visit the cats every day!"

Behind the book he had raised to his face, Leo smiled. If Elliot was happy, then…that was enough.


End file.
